Legendary NYC Halloween Parade On Verge Of Extinction

In sad new for freaks everywhere, New York City’s Greenwich Village Halloween Parade may be cancelled this year due to lack of funds. The parade, which draws more than a million spectators and participants each year, was called off in 2012 due to Hurricane Super-Bitch Sandy. The cost of insuring the mad march has risen substantially, and producers are still saddled with the debt from last year’s ruined event.

Organizers are $50,000 in the hole, and have resorted to Kickstarter to get this thing funded. Out of all the nightmare projects that have cropped up on the crowdfunding site this is one nightmare we actually want. The October 21 deadline is just 22 days away but so far producers have garnered less than half of the necessary donations.

Since its start in 1974, the Village Halloween Parade has had a major queer contingent—and back in those days people weren’t so thrilled to see drag queens and naked boys sashaying down Lower Manhattan. It was the first major event in New York after the September 11 attacks and, and after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, organizers flew in two Big Easy bands to participate and raise funds.

Jeanne Flemming, a parade organizer for the past 33 years, says many corporate sponsorships remain unsecured, with businesses nervous about last year’s debacle and fighting off the lingering effects of the economic downturn. The less these sponsors are willing to spend, the more the parade needs folks like you.

We think Sharon Needles would be a great spokeswoman for the cause, but our Ouija board keeps emitting a ghastly busy signal.